Lawsuit filed to stop Trump administration from dismantling Department of Education
The coalition says the administration's move would harm students with disabilities and disrupt vital federal education programs.
A coalition of education unions, school districts, and disability advocates has expanded its lawsuit against the Trump-Vance administration over efforts to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and scatter its responsibilities across unrelated federal agencies.
The updated legal challenge, filed Nov. 25, adds The Arc of the United States as a plaintiff and emphasizes the threat to students with disabilities if core education programs are dismantled or moved.
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Plaintiffs argue the administration’s sweeping overhaul would destabilize services for millions of students and violate the law establishing the department in 1979.
The administration has proposed laying off large portions of the department’s workforce and relocating over 100 education-related programs, including those supporting low-income districts, special education, vocational training, and college aid, to agencies like labor, HHS, and the interior.
While lower courts initially blocked the plan, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed it to move forward in July as litigation proceeds.
The lawsuit, now consolidated under Somerville v. Trump, is being led by Democracy Forward on behalf of national unions, local school districts, and advocacy organizations.
Plaintiffs argue the department’s closure would abandon students and educators while stripping away federally mandated protections.
